Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis stands around 5ft 5in, weighs nine-and-a-half stone but has become the biggest American pay-per-view draw since Floyd Mayweather, his in-ring KOs piling up even faster than his controversies outside the ring.
The Baltimore boxer has been compared to Mayweather, his manager for a large chunk of his career. And also to a lightweight version of Mike Tyson, due to his short stature, shorter fuse and ability to score highlight-reel knockouts.
Yet the success of Davis, before the biggest fight of his career against fellow undefeated puncher Ryan Garcia, is a mix of that pair and something entirely his own. Mexico’s Canelo Alvarez is still boxing’s biggest global star, alongside Britain’s Tyson Fury. But both are well into their 30s and when it comes to US-born draws, no one shifts PPVS or tickets like ‘Tank’.
Terence Crawford, Errol Spence, perhaps even Devin Haney, Shakur Stevenson and Jermell Charlo are ahead of Davis on most pound-for-pound rankings. But none of those fighters have the increasing crossover appeal of the swaggering Davis.
His 2020 knockout of the year against Leo Santa Cruz drew awestruck reactions from Conor McGregor (“The young man ‘Tank’ Davis has some serious venom in that back hand shot. Incredible!”) and LeBron James.
Davis is also able to sell out arenas across the US. He drew a reported 200,000+ PPV buys for his last bout against relatively unknown Hector Garcia and, in the contest before that, his KO of Rolly Romero came in front of a $5million gate in New York.
Not exactly peak Mayweather numbers – and in the UK, where Fury vs Derek Chisora III can somehow pack a football stadium, sell-outs may seem normal. But in American boxing, where Mayweather’s retirement left a gaping hole, Davis’ popularity is impressive.
Even Deontay Wilder, a charismatic, hard-punching heavyweight, cannot come close to Davis’ drawing power – at least when he does not have Fury in the opposite corner.
But compared to classic power-punchers such as a Mike Tyson, Davis’ style stands out. He is a smart, patient boxer who prefers to counterpunch, drawing opponents in to finish them off with devastating hooks and the most destructive uppercut in boxing.
The southpaw’s fights often start slowly, as opposed to their all-action finishes (generally ending with the opponent lying on the canvas wondering which literal tank rolled over them).
Davis’s 28-0 (26 KOs) record tells one story. But of his last six fights, none have ended inside the first five rounds. Unlike many punchers who start to unravel the longer an opponent is able to last, Davis seems to have total confidence in his power, knowing he can create the knockout opportunity even as the rounds slip by.
Against social media phenomenon Garcia, however, Davis doesn’t just have to worry about his opponent’s speed or powerful left hook. For all his ice-cool professionalism inside the ring, Davis’ life has been turbulent outside of it.
Similar to how Mayweather fought Miguel Cotto with a 57-day prison sentence hanging over his head to be served after the fight, Davis takes on Garcia with a court date scheduled in May over a hit-and-run incident in 2020.
Davis is alleged to have ignored a red light while driving his Lamborghini, crashed into a car containing four people then fled the scene before authorities arrived. He has since pleaded guilty to four of the charges and will be sentenced on 5 May.
The 28-year-old has also been arrested for assault for brawls outside the ring, and for domestic violence against after he was filmed grabbing a former girlfriend while at a basketball game. Although ‘Tank’ has played down comparisons between himself and a peak Tyson, the hit-and-run charge could possibly result in Davis doing a stint in jail after the Garcia fight.
One thing the pair share, however, is that they come from two of the toughest neighbourhoods in the US. Tyson hailed from Brownsville, Brooklyn, while Davis comes from one of the most crime-ridden areas of Baltimore – the city made famous by HBO show ‘The Wire’.
“Boxing became my life because the love I wasn’t getting at home, I was getting in the gym,” said Davis about his early pathway into the sport. “So boxing was my ‘all’.”
Davis’ relationship with his now former manager Mayweather has also been fiery at times, with ‘Tank’ claiming in March that Floyd had barred him from his Las Vegas gym. “What? That Floyd’s petty ass said I couldn’t use his gym anymore. I don’t give a f—!” said Davis in his favourite form of communication: the since-deleted-tweet.
But Mayweather has always spoken highly of Davis’ skills, even since their parting, and the pair seem to have patched things up.
The boxer groomed to replace Mayweather has plenty of the same cocky swagger, even if their in-ring styles couldn’t be further apart. Davis may not have Mayweather’s trash-talking ability – but his spectacular finishes, followed by the trademark backflip off the top turnbuckle, are clearly enough to sell his fights.
Before his fascinating showdown with Garcia, Davis has confidently predicted: “Come 22 April, when they raise my hand, I am the face of boxing.”
The truth is, when it comes to American boxing, Tank has already claimed that throne. A victory against Garcia would just see his fame ascend another notch higher.
Source link: https://talksport.com/football/1396345/gervonta-davis-ko-ppv-floyd-mayweather/
